The present invention relates to a munition, particularly a submunition comprising target detection means.
Delivery systems are known to comprise an active homing head associated with means for orienting a detection axis in an elevation direction and a relative bearing direction with respect to the delivery systems. These delivery systems, typically missiles, generally include self-tracking means that guide the missiles to the target. This type of delivery system is extremely expensive to manufacture.
Great Britain Patent 2,090,950 describes a submunition with a complex movement and comprising a core-generating charge and target detection means. The orientation of the target detection means is fixed relative to the submunition, with the target detection axis being parallel to the firing axis of the core. As will be explained below, the complex movement of the submunition ensures that a substantial area of the ground is scanned by the target detection means. When a target is detected, firing is triggered. If the target detection axis is parallel to the firing axis, and these two axes are close, the core is sent substantially in the direction of the target.
However, there is a problem with the lag between the moment of detection and the moment of firing, due principally to both processing tie and to the velocity of the submunition at the time of firing necessary to achieve the complex trajectory ensuring scanning, introducing firing inaccuracy that can be as high as or greater than 10 meters. This error cannot be equated with a fixed bias that could be fully corrected by shifting the detection axis by a fixed amount relative to the firing axis. The residual error is sufficient to considerably cut down the probability of reaching the target.
A possible solution is to use a target detection means with a detection axis capable of being oriented in the direction of the target. Although technically feasible, this solution is too expensive to be adapted to this type of submunition.